Arizona Reid. PBA IMAGES
Arizona Reid recorded a triple-double and San Miguel Beer breezed past Blackwater, 115-83, for its eighth straight win in the 2015 PBA Governors’ Cup Tuesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Reid, the two-time Best Import, had his fingerprints all over the game with 39 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists for the Beermen, who are the first team assured of a slot in the top four and a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
“A lot of people are saying that we don’t really need this win but I cannot stop the players from playing because they really want to win and we want them to have momentum heading into the quarterfinals,” said SMB head coach Leo Austria after his team hiked its mark to a league-best 8-2.
“We’re not after that streak. And even though this is already a no-bearing game for us, we really wanted to develop that winning habit,” Austria added.
San Miguel Beer winds up its campaign in the elimination round against Alaska, which is also looking to lock up a top four slot, on Saturday in Panabo, Davao del Norte.
The Elite tried to make it a game in the third quarter after facing a 28-point lead in the first half. They cut the deficit down to 10 but that was the closest they came before the Beermen regrouped and put the game away behind Reid.
“AZ didn’t really wanted to be taken out of the game because he really wanted to score and his teammates were also supporting him. I’m happy to see them play as one team,” Austria said.
June Mar Fajardo added 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field while Marcio Lassiter chipped in 17 built on five 3-pointers. The Beermen clicked on the offensive end, shooting 53% from the field and having 28 assists and just 11 turnovers.
Marcus Cousin made his PBA debut as a replacement for Marcus Douthit and posted 25 points and 16 rebounds for Blackwater, which lost its fifth straight game and eighth overall in nine outings.
Douthit played for the Gilas Cadets, who had tougher route to the gold medal than expected, in the 28th Southeast Asian Games in Singapore. CFC
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